Worldwar

By: Harry Turtledove

Narrated by: Todd McLaren

Length: 25 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's Summary

Communist China, Japan, Nazi Germany, the United States: they began World War II as mortal enemies. But suddenly their only hope for survival---never mind victory---was to unite to stop a mighty foe: one whose frightening technology appeared invincible.

Far worse beings than the Nazis were loose. From Warsaw to Moscow to China's enemy-occupied Forbidden City, the nations of the world had been forced into an uneasy alliance since humanity began its struggle against overwhelming odds. In Britain and Germany, where the banshee wail of hostile jets screamed across the land, caches of once-forbidden weapons were unearthed, and unthinkable tactics were employed against the enemy. Brilliantly innovative military strategists confronted challenges unprecedented in the history of warfare.

Even as lack of fuel forced people back to horse and carriage, physicists worked feverishly to create the first atomic bombs - with horrifying results. City after city joined the radioactive pyre as the planet erupted in fiery ruins. Yet the crisis continued - on land, sea, and in the air - as humanity writhed in global combat. The tactics of daredevil guerrillas everywhere became increasingly ingenious against a superior foe whose desperate retaliation would grow ever more fearsome.

No one had ever put the United States, or the world, in such deadly danger. But if the carnage and annihilation ever stopped, would there be any pieces to pick up?

©2009 Harry Turtledove (P)2010 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"Turtledove exhibits his genuine feel for crafting believable answers to historical 'what ifs.'" ( Library Journal)

Liked it!

I loved it but I'm a sucker for humanity kicking an unrealistic amount of alien ass.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Long, but Good

Long story but well thought out. Great audio for long trips or commutes. Looking forward to more of his books.

More a soap opera than a war story

It's so unfortunate because the performance is so great and some of the stories are really good and interesting. Unfortunately you have to stomach the other stories to get to them, and they're hardly worth the time.
Whilst certainly a step up from the previous novel, it leaves the listener impatiently waiting to get back to the better characters and stories instead of enjoying all of them

Won't work with Apple CarPlay

Won't work with Apple CarPlay. Also, I listen to books on my long commute and the APP is always asking me to rate it and thus I cannot listen to my book till I dismiss it. As I am driving, means I cannot dismiss it. Love audio books but the APP stinks.

Could not take it after a while

What disappointed you about Worldwar?

I got hooked on reading the first in the series and I (reluctantly) pushed on to the end. I enjoy apocalyptic and sci-fi military themes so this seemed like a good choice. What hooked me was the idea that an alien invasion had badly miscalculated how quickly humanity could advance and when it arrived it ran into real resistance. Good stuff! However just about everything else became tedious. Honestly this idea is probably a two book idea at max - it sure feels like it was padded out big time to the current length. Dull human interest stories, stereotypical characters, sardonic commentary ALL the time (how many times does Atvar have to complain about humanities rapid advancement - apparently every time he opens his mouth), tedious explication of Nazis and the Jews etc etc Predictable. One dimensional. I made it to the end and refuse to follow up on the Colonization series. I refuse. I won't.

I give it two stars instead of one since the author seems to know his history.

Has Worldwar turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, but I am turned off all of Turtledove's books now.

Have you listened to any of Todd McLaren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. Its good since there are a lot of accents.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Worldwar?

I would edit it down to one large book. Cut almost all the human interest stuff, make the world leaders more realistic and spend more time on the geo-political and military aspects.

Masterful!

Harry Turtledove deserves all of the praise he has received over his career. A true genius. And Todd McLaren is one the the very best narrators out there and didn't not fall short with this reading.

Good Stuff

Same narrator and he does a great job keeping in character, changing tone and volume for all of the sound effects etc, and even keeps a steady voice while plowing through the terrible sex scenes. Not sure Turtledove thought through all of the strategic decisions being made by the Earth factions but hey, I'm sure stretching this out to four books has left less time for that sort of thing. Also we have only vague ideas about the state of the various armies on a grand scale, hence each atomic detonation seems to translate less meaning each time. Ah well, here's to hoping that's better felt in the last book!

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fun story, weird narration

A fun tale, but the narrator has absolutely no idea how to do British accents.

Very enjoyable

loved the story, yes it had its slow moments ( for me it was Lu han in China) but overall this was a great third story in this saga!

Really enjoyable

Would you consider the audio edition of Worldwar to be better than the print version?

Before I listened to worldwar I wasn't sure reworking history would work. But it does.

What does Todd McLaren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Really liked his narration, as good Scott Brick, my favourite from the Dune prequels